Do commercial airline pilots rarely use VOR signals?
It seems like airline pilots just see VOR stations as waypoints and just use GPS to actually navigate unlike student pilots who have to turn VOR things all the time.
Perhaps among major carriers, but as a regional airline pilot flying old equipment, I use VOR's every single day. Because I fly in Alaska and Yukon part of the year I also use NDB's regularly too.
By the way, by definition airline pilots are commercial pilots, so it is redundant to say "commercial airline".
It depends.
Most airliners have a multi-sensor FMS which includes GPS… But also includes an Inertial Navigation System and a VOR/DME RNAV system. The FMS will use all available information to generate a current position for the aircraft, and a track to follow reference to the executed flight plane programmed into it.
Most of the waypoints will be GPS based, but the FMS will still automatically tune the applicable navaid at the appropriate times. Should the aircraft lose GPS, it can continue on the FMS generated track-even off airways-while it references the in range VORs and DMEs… Or you can swap to VOR and use the CDI to follow them traditionally. If you lose all external inputs, you can continue with INS.
I always keep VORs or NDBs tuned up over remote areas on my RMI. They are good for cross checking and situational awareness and backup if the GPS quits.
Some long haul flights usually use VOR to Navigate but its quite rare too
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